Edinburgh

Monday 22 September 2025

I had a work event in Edinburgh as, as my sciatica was so bad, my office agreed I could fly rather than sit on the train for 7+ hours.  Exeter International airport is small and beautifully formed.  This was just as well as I only realised, when preparing for security checks, that I'd left my lithium battery pack in my main luggage. I back-tracked to check in and, within 5 minutes, my hold luggage was retrieved and I extracted said battery pack.  Lesson #1 - always check your hand luggage before relinquishing your hold luggage.  My little Scottish plane...

I had great views up the Severn Estuary of Flat/Steep Holm and Cardiff. I waved at Riona.

Tuesday 23 September 2025

Edinburgh in the sun is amazing!  I took the tram down town to Dynamic Earth which I sadly didn't get any time to explore.

The conference went well and I had lots of people to catch up with.  It over ran so, with only a few minutes to spare, I hoofed it up to National Museum to see Dolly. 

I then headed to the sea and, briefly passing the Royal Yacht Britannia, strolled around Newhaven.

A lovely unwind to a busy day.

Wednesday 24 September 2025

I took the tram to the airport, checked in, got my boarding pass, went through security and headed for the gate.  They called my gate and I went through onto the bus to the plane.  During this I tuned into a work call (via bluetooth to my hearing aids) so was totally zoned out to everything around me.  After 20 minutes of standing on the bus I saw an agitated ground staff lady appear and disappear. I came off the call and asked the guy what she said "oh, she's after a random lady", he explained. I checked who and he said "name Adams I think."  So I made myself known to ground crew thinking they were chasing me as I'd declared I needed assistance as I was hard of hearing.  It turned out that my hearing was fine, but I was actually on the wrong bus to the wrong flight! I'd gone through gate 29, heading for Southampton, instead of gate 28, despite having a boarding pass that said Exeter.  Lesson #2 - always check when you board a plane you're on the right one.

Of course, they extracted me off the Southampton bound plane and put me back with the Exeter bound passengers, but I am deeply confused about how a passenger like me (who I class as reasonably sensible) can be processed through the wrong gate onto the wrong flight.

Anyway, once on the Exeter flight the journey back was fine and JC only had to collect me from Exeter not Southampton airport.  End of the Scottish adventures for now.